WHAT IS ACT-SO? ACT-SO is a year-long enrichment program designed to recruit, stimulate, improve and encourage high academic and cultural achievement among African-American high school students. ACT-SO is an acronym for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics.The ACT-SO program centers around dedication and committment of community volunteers and business leaders; to serve as mentors and coaches to promote academic and artistic excellence among African American students. There are categories of competition in the sciences, humanities, performing arts, visual arts and business.

WHO SPONSORS ACT-SO? ACT-SO is sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.

WHO FOUNDED ACT-SO? Vernon Jarrett, a renowned author and journalist, initiated the idea of a program that would promote and reward academic achievers the same way sports heroes are honored. The first national ACT-SO competition was held in 1978 in Portland, Oregon.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE? High School students of African descent, who are citizens of the United States, enrolled in grades 9-12 and are amateurs in the categories of competition are able to participate.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN ACT-SO? The ACT-SO program is intended to be a learning experience, first and foremost. The focus of a viable and effective local ACT-SO program is on enrichment and mentorship. Students work with ACT-SO mentors who help them develop projects throught the year. Local ACT-SO programs also provide ACT-SO students with enrichment opportunities, such as workshops, tutorials and field trips.

The local competition serves to showcase the hard work students have put in all year long. Students receive medals provided by the local and regional sponsors and contributors. ACT-SO students who receive gold medals on the local level then compete at the national competition where they receive scholarships and other rewards provided by national sponsors.

THE GOALS OF ACT-SO

To mobilize the adult community for the promotion of academic and artistic excellence.

To recognize creative talent and academic achievement.

To provide and assist students with the necessary skills to establish goals and acquire the confidence and training to make a successful contribution to society.

LOCAL COMPETITION CATEGORIES 2017

STEM:

ARCHITECTURE The science, art or profession of designing buildings or outdoor spaces.

BIOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY The science of life or of the origin, structure, reproduction, growth and development of living organisms collectively.

CHEMISTRY/BIOCHEMISTRY The science that deals with the composition, structure and properties of chemical processes and phenomena of substances and the transformation that they undergo.

COMPUTER SCIENCE The science that deals with the theoretical aspects of computers including storage and the transformation of data using computers.

MATHEMATICS The science of numbers and their operations, interrelations, combinations, generalizations, and abstractions of spaced configurations and their structure. Development of formal logical systems or various numerical and algebraic computations and the application of these principles.

MEDICINE AND HEALTH The study of diseases and health of humans and animals.

PHYSICS Theories, principles and laws governing energy and the effect of energy on matter.

HUMANITIES:

MUSIC COMPOSITION The science or art of arranging music by ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination or in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.

ORIGINAL ESSAY A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.

PLAYWRITING A literary composition developed for the stage.

POETRY--WRITTEN An original poem or prose performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization.

SHORT STORY A brief examination of a subject in prose usually expressing a personal view or interpretation of a subject or topic.

PERFORMING ARTS:

DANCE: Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Traditional To perform a series of rhythmic and patterned bodily movements usually performed to music.

DRAMATICS The art of staging or acting plays.

MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL--CLASSICAL The art of performing with a device used to produce music with tones of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.

MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL--CONTEMPORARY The art of performing with a device used to produce music with the tones of the present.

MUSIC VOCAL--CLASSICAL The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds of the late 18th and 19th centuries characterized by an emphasis on balance, clarity, and moderation.

MUSIC VOCAL--CONTEMPORARY The art of performing with the human voice rhythmic tones or sounds to produce music with the tones of the present.

ORATORY The art of speaking in public eloquently and effectively. (This is not a dramatic presentation.)

POETRY--PERFORMANCE An original poem or prose performed as a monologue or exchange involving extemporization.

VISUAL ARTS:

DRAWING The art of representing forms and figures on a surface by means of lines.

FILMMAKING The art and process of making motion pictures.

PAINTING The art of laying on paints with a brush or a knife.

PHOTOGRAPHY The process, art and technique of taking images recorded by a camera and reproducing them on a photosensitive surface.

SCULPTURE The art of making three-dimensional figures or designs.

BUSINESS:

ENTREPRENEURSHIP Refers to owning, organizing, and managing your own business by providing a necessary product or service.